1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming system, and more particularly to an image forming system using visible light communication.
2. Description of the Background Art
Image fixating apparatuses include MFPs (Multi-Functional Peripherals) having scanner, facsimile, copy, printer, data communication, and server functions, facsimile machines, copiers, and printers.
Visible light communication is sometimes used in communication between devices. Document 1 below discloses a configuration of a portable terminal with a camera capable of receiving visible light communication.
Document 2 below discloses an illumination system that performs communication between an illumination device and a terminal, in which power consumption of the terminal is reduced by determining whether a position of the terminal is within a communicable area.
Document 3 discloses an example of a network printing system in which a print request from a client terminal to an image forming apparatus can be processed properly even when a relative positional relationship between the image forming apparatus and the terminal outputting a print request to the image forming apparatus is changed.    [Document 1] Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2005-218067    [Document 2] Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2009-55481    [Document 3] Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2011-28347
In recent years, the use of information terminals (for example, portable terminals including smart phones and tablet terminals) owned by users in workplace has developed as represented by adoption of the BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) policy. Augmented reality technology can be used as a solution to improve the convenience of image forming systems configured with such information terminals and image forming apparatuses installed in the same use environment. For example, the status information of the image forming apparatuses may be displayed as augmented reality associated with a camera image of the information terminal.
FIG. 26 is a screen view showing a usage example of an information terminal in an image forming system using augmented reality.
As shown in FIG. 26, in the image forming system as described above, image forming apparatuses 802, 803 and information 841a, 841b (in this case, also called air tags 841a, 841b) as augmented reality associated with image forming apparatuses 802, 803 are displayed together in an image (appearing on a display device 831 of an information terminal 801) captured by the camera of information terminal 801.
In the display involving augmented reality, air tags 841a, 841b on augmented reality may be associated with the actual positions of image forming apparatuses 802, 803, for example, by using positional information obtained by the GPS (Global Positioning System). For example, the positional information obtained by measuring the positions with the GPS and the positional information of image forming apparatuses 802, 803 obtained via an air tag server can be used. However, with such a method using the GPS, an error may be caused in position depending on the position recognition precision of the GPS. In particular, the error may be greater in the interior of a room. If the positional information to be used for association with air tags 841a, 841b has an error in this manner, air tags 841a, 841b fail to be displayed appropriately.
To address this problem, the display involving augmented reality may be provided by transmitting/receiving the positional information and the information of air tags 841a, 841b through visible light communication. To use visible light communication, an image of the light emitters such as LEDs (Light-Emitting Diode) provided in image forming apparatuses 802, 803 may be captured by the light receiver such as a camera of information terminal 801, and the captured image may be superimposed on air tags 841a, 841b obtained through visible light communication. In this case, when compared with the case where air tags 841a, 841b are displayed using the positional information obtained by measuring the positions with the GPS, the real objects can be accurately associated with air tags 841a, 841b on augmented reality and displayed on display device 831 of information terminal 801.
However, the display of air tags 841a, 841b using visible light communication as described above has some problems. Namely, when image forming apparatuses 802, 803 are in a low power mode, the light emitters of image forming apparatuses 802, 803 (light-emitting side) are turned off. As a result, information terminal 801 (light-receiving side) cannot receive information such as air tags 841a, 841b. Conversely, if information terminal 801 is set to be able to always receive information such as air tags 841a, 841b, it is necessary to keep the light emitters on even when image forming apparatuses 802, 803 operate in a low power mode, which consumes power accordingly.
The present invention is made to solve such problems. An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming system with low power consumption and with high convenience.